Alex Teece had no idea what would come out of gathering Teach for America alumni together in 2012 to discuss what was needed in Hawaii’s public school system.
What started as an innocent question turned into five years of exploring, learning and developing.
“What if we started our own school?” Teece, 31, asked.
And that’s exactly what they did.
Teece, born and raised in Northampton, and his team of 12 worked for Teach for America in Ewa Beach on the island of Oahu. They noticed that the one thing their students, many of whom lived in poverty, needed was a new school. With a vision focusing on “identity and leadership,” the team’s proposal was finally approved last week by the Hawaii Public Charter School Commission. It’s designed to give children in the Ewa Beach area another option for school.
DreamHouse Ewa Beach is scheduled to open its doors in July 2018 to 100 sixth-graders. If all goes well, the student population will grow by 100 students each year, eventually housing 700 sixth- through 12th-graders by the 2024-2025 academic year.
“There really is an exceptional need in this community for a new school,” Teece said, in a phone interview from Hawaii. “I’m honored to be a part of this community.”
No other charter school exists in the district. Teece and his team customized the school’s charter for the neighborhood. While the island has many newly developed homes and schools, many children in Ewa Beach come from disadvantaged, rural parts of the area.
“These are our kids,” Teece said. “Another public school option is good for this community.”
Zach Dilonno, president of the school’s nonprofit team, pointed out that parents shouldn’t have to spend $20,000 to send their child to private school to receive a good education.
“That’s not a bind our community should have to put our parents in,” Dilonno said. “Why not have something that’s a great opportunity in their home community?”
The school’s mission focuses on two words: identity and leadership.
Teece said the school’s founders want the children to embrace their diverse backgrounds. Some students’ families may blend as many as five different cultural backgrounds.
“Our school focuses on finding a sense of self, appreciating that and feeling confident in that,” Dilonno said.
Teece grew up on Bayberry Lane in Northampton and graduated from Williston Northampton School. After earning his degree from Ithaca College in 2008, he went to Hawaii to work for Teach for America, a program that places young classroom leaders in low-income schools. While working, Teece also attended graduate school at the University of Hawaii.
After their initial meeting in 2012, Teece and his team decided to travel to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit nine charter schools.
“We went there expecting to see magic,” Teece said. “What we saw were adults who wanted to build their own school.”
The group took away two thoughts: Building a school was possible, and Teece and his team needed to do it.
Their first charter application failed to win approval. They kept trying, working on their educational plan, talking to people in the community, fundraising and building their curriculum.
Their improved plan won approval by the commission. DreamHouse Ewa Beach joins 34 existing charter schools that educate 10,900 students in Hawaii.
While the process of starting a charter school in Hawaii is similar to those of other states, Teece said, the public perception of charter schools is not. In Hawaii, they are seen as cultural alternatives, he said.
Teece and his team have a long period of planning and fundraising ahead before they can start teaching.
They will receive $7,000 per student per year from the commission, but not until children begin attending the school. Even then, that funding will not cover all of the school’s first year expenses.
The team needs to find a suitable building, build a leadership team, hire their founding teachers, draft a curriculum and purchase all the materials students will need. And they need students, too. The team will canvas the community for their founding class.
“I’m most excited to talk to kids and parents about coming to our school,” Dilonno said. “It will great to go back into the community and provide a great service for these families.”